Guard Duty

[Kitsune]

Anybody else one of those super lazy players that literally would sit around for hours talking with people until something happens at a backwater outpost/tower/stronghold/base?

I know I am.

People of Ps1, was this very common? If it was, was it fun? Was it worth it? How many people did you post for say, a biolab? Is it far easier to defend then to attack? Did people often respond well if a surprise invasion force came? How critical is it to have an early warning? How long do you think a Ps2 base can hold out and how well? Is it easy to counterattack if you hold fast? How long can sieges last?

If you don't wanna answer all that, your experiences with Guard Duty and/or reassignment to base patrol will be fun too.

Oh and to keep this Ps2 related, how do you think defneding will be in Ps2? A good guess would be appreciated if you don't know
And if anybody just says, "Yes," or "No," Domo will have to whack you.

[RoninOni]

PS1 was a bit different because it used what was called the "Lattice" system instead of the new open map hex system.... there was no worry about territories that were fully behind the front line.

So who knows. Maybe there will be some sort of teleporter system (ie; respawn at another base by going through a spawner or something).

And usually defending has it's advantages... but not enough to overcome truly overwhelming numbers. 10 won't likely hold out against 100 very long. But defending air raids with AA will likely be fairly rewarding if you manage to place yourself in the right places in the right times.

[Warborn]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

People of Ps1, was this very common? If it was, was it fun? Was it worth it? How many people did you post for say, a biolab? Is it far easier to defend then to attack? Did people often respond well if a surprise invasion force came? How critical is it to have an early warning? How long do you think a Ps2 base can hold out and how well? Is it easy to counterattack if you hold fast? How long can sieges last?

Not something that really happened at all.

Not fun.

Wasn't worth it.

Nobody ever got "posted".

People would respond to rearward bases having their generators blown with a squad or two. Sometimes you'd find an actual squad of enemies camping the base in order to keep it down, usually it was just one guy flying from base to base blowing generators. But because of the lattice system you couldn't actually be attacked at those rear bases. It's been about a decade since I played without the lattice so I don't remember how it worked when a "surprise attack" was possible.

Early warning doesn't matter. An asshole with boomers could drop a base in a minute.

Bases in PS2 don't last that long. Watch the stream. You control points and they fill up based on how many points you have. Every base is constantly being attacked, pretty much. This answers your last two questions. Bases are perpetually being contested and flipping back and forth and back and forth, based on the stream.

[MaxDamage]

I wasn't lazy but I held guard many times at crucial towers/base points that the zerg was too busy to defend. There were plenty of opportunities for this in PS1. Considering that many areas are more spread out, I'd suspect there are more opportunities for this - tho why this is a highlight for you I do not know.

For me it was duty.

[Warborn]

Staying in a tower near a base next on the chopping block to prevent it from being taken and enemies flooding in is a totally different thing from hanging out in some base with no lattice link hoping someone comes along and goes for its generator or something.

Realistically, for Planetside 2, I guess it'll happen often enough. Maybe you won't be sitting at a single outpost. Maybe instead you'll just be waging smaller fights in the behind-the-lines area away from the base fights. I suspect there'll be enough people who prefer smaller engagements over massive base fights to make this a decently rewarding way to play. Could be, though, that some people might actually really enjoy picking an easily defensible outpost behind enemy lines and locking it down with an organized squad/platoon. So maybe you'd be biting off more than you can chew in some cases.

[Blackwolf]

You'd have to adapt your defensive stance to a more fast response team. If a base in PS2 is back hacked (hacked from behind friendly lines) then you would have to travel there as fast as possible to identify the problem and, if possible, correct it on your own. And if not possible, engage the enemy and call for reinforcements with as much info as you can provide such as numbers and direction of attack.

"He who defends everything, defends nothing" - Sun Tzu.

I doubt you'll find the cushy guard job you really want unless you post yourself at a base or the foothold and wait for something to happen. PS1 had 15 minute hack times on CCs so there was a good deal of sitting around guarding the CC waiting for the hack timer to run out which was boring work and typically resulted in more duels between squadmates then actual defense against enemies trying to stop the hack.

If I started an outfit, I could find something for someone like you to do and wish there were more of you to do it. But that's me.

[Vencher]

if its one of those ays where you cant have your full attention on the game, then sure I can see myself standing guard at what could potentially be a tactical vantage point behind the main lines.

Or perhaps if you know a base is about to fall, prepping defenses in the next outpost or facility could prevent a rapid multi capture of a large swath of territory.

I wont lie, when i play MMORPG's (once i am level cap'd) i do nothing but sit in pvp queues, raid enemy cities, gank farmers, and troll chat channels. If i am not in the mood to nerd rage at morons, i will sit in a quiet area and "hold it down" just outside of the main area of combat.

[Salad Snake]

I'm also probably going to do this in-game, it's fun once in a blue moon. Satisfies my rare role-playing urge. So I'm with on hoping this is viable in-game OP.

[Sirisian]

Originally Posted by RoninOni

PS1 was a bit different because it used what was called the "Lattice" system instead of the new open map hex system.... there was no worry about territories that were fully behind the front line.

I see your front line and raise you a gen hold... a very long gen hold.... then neutral then mine....

[Gugabalog]

I wouldn't mind it a ton but it would definitely be secondary.

[therandomone]

I mean, I could see that happening if the base was closer to the "front-lines" you may want to go on guard duty. But again, like others have said, it depends on how quickly bases can be captured/ the hack times on said bases and if theyre similar to PS1. Could be fun though. Just from watching the videos I see a lot of possibility for amazing views while at certain bases it seems, so who knows, you might just have the urge to guard-duty if you get a spot with a nice view.

[JoCool]

Guard duty in this game could be necessary to primarily spot an enemy attack and then, secondary, provide an immediate response to it.

Not so in Planetside. When a facility and its surrounding posts are being attacked / hacked, you will notice so on the map. Hence, the primary reason for guard duty is taken over by the system itself. You as well as others can then quickly respawn at the facility near the action, which is like teleporting towards the plant. Thus the necessity of staying in the remote area for a rapid response counterattack, the secondary reason for guard duty, is also removed. Other issues such as base maintenance and logistics in general to hold the line to the front are not portrayed in Planetside. This has created a much more vivid and action-oriented battlefield.


However, there are comparable tasks you could aim for. For example, you could sozialize in gathering a team, managing a Squad / an Outfit, quickly draw yourself a plan on where to attack, communicate with other Squad-/Outfitleaders, be a Galaxy pilot, place your Galaxy in strategically important spots and continue to guard it while keeping contanct and the broad overview on what's happening. You do get points when people spawn from your Galaxy and you will get them for your Squad capturing objectives. All while you do not need to move as much and have a minimum amount of twitch combat.

[Sunrock]

I can defiantly see my self sitting on guard duty for 8 hours on a Sunday when having a hang over

[Diehard]

Guard duty is a must for me. My Adrenalines are limited you know. Plus its a good chance for me to maximize the engie turret

[Scotsh]

Guard duty for a specific outpost? Not so much.

But i can definitely see myself patrolling an area of smaller bases for some time. Maybe even with a small squad.